The Lost Girl
by CheshiresVengence
Summary: Like this can't get any better. With Appa injured, and a horrible snow storm raging, and the Fire Nation on their tail, the last thing they need is a ghost haunting them. But hey, they had no other choice. They were forced in that cave anyways.


**Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**The Lost Girl**

Katara shivered as she squinted through the blizzard flurrys, ice crystals nipping and the cold biting. She gripped Aang and Sokka's hands tightly, and Aang held onto Appa as the trekked blindly across the frozen land.

They had been caught in the bad storm, luckily when they landed on Appa. It happened so fast. So now they were freezing, grounded, and lost. Even with her thick jacket and gloves, Katara was still starting numb with bitter cold. "What will we do?" yelled Sokka over the howling winds. They were all silent for a moment, until they huddled closer together beside Appa.

"What can we do?" murmured Katara as she hugged her brother and Aang.

"We'll have to wait it out, find a cave or something." Aang announced. Sokka sighed and shook his head.

"We'd be snowed in. Storms like this can last days, weeks even"

Katara nodded and snuggled into Appa's soft fuzzy pelt, watching the wind howl and letting the frost and snow gather on her. Momo chirped sadly from under Kataras coat, curled around her waist trying to keep warm.

_We can't just give up...we'll freeze…_

Kataras eyes widened suddenly, as she saw a dark figure in the distance. It seemed to come closer, until she made out long, frizzy white hair blowing in the wind, escaping its place in the hood of a cloak. The mysterious person pointed. Katara, curious, turned around. She could see warm orange light in mere meters away! Gasping, she turned again, only to see no one there.

Well…

"Sokka! Aang! This way!" Katara hollered, dragging the boys towards the direction of the light. Startled, they stumbled after her along with Appa. She ran hopefully, finally seeing the mouth of a large, wallowing cave. Strange enough, in the middle there was a huge, warm fire burning brightly. Sokka stopped at the entrance.

"It's a trap guys!"

"Would you rather sit out there or warm up in the 'trap'" Katara snapped. Sokka thought, sighed, then sat right next to the fire. Aang looked over at Katara strangely.

"How did you find this place?" He asked.

Katara shrugged. Should she tell him…nah. "Uhm… y'know, just my instincts." She smiled. The Avatar seemed to buy it at least. But she was getting questioning looks from her brother. Frowning, she got up to unpack their sleeping bags.

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"I'm bored," Sokka began. "Anyone have any _scary _stories?" He quickly finished with a grin. Katara nodded, reminded of her story by the harsh weather. The boys leaned in, and Katara smiled and started to tell the tale.

"Long, long ago, before even when Gran Gran's parents were kids, the Southern Water Tribe was pillaged by a horrible, two week blizzard. A young girl was caught in it, and had to try and survive outside on the open for the whole two weeks. When the storm stopped, her parents rushed towards the place she was last seen."

Sokka gulped, and Aang just look intrigued.

"They found her." Aang sighed in relief, and Sokka felt disappointed. "But she was frozen completely solid, her once colored skin pale white and her blue eyes now snow white. Her hair was bleached and frosty, and she was all skin and bones from starving over the many cold weeks. The healers said her heart froze first even, she froze from the inside out."

"A week after they buried her, during a snow fall, people claimed to see a girl with snow white hair and eyes, aimlessly wondering. This happened for many, many years. Even today…you can hear her calls and weeps for her mother and father…for warmth…"

"Ok!" Sokka cried, covering his ears. "That's enough!" He shivered and curled up in his sleeping bag. Aang frowned.

"No one should have to die like that…" he sighed, laying down. Katara agreed, slightly scared of what it would be like, freezing from your heart out. She fought off a shiver. "Nice story though. Good night, Katara"

"Good night" Katara answered, before snuggling in her blankets and looking at the dwindling fire.

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Sokka blinked his eyes open, as he heard the wind outside howl louder. Or was that Appa? Whatever. He was hungry. He looked up though, and froze in place. A small built girl was sitting by the fire, about Katara's age. She was staring at the flames with white eyes, messy white hair reaching the ground. Sokka choked a scream, letting out a simple puff of air. The girl looked back at him-he thought, it was hard to tell- her face as blank as her eyes. Sokka blinked, and when he looked again…she was gone.

Maybe he wasn't hungry….

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Aang frowned, getting up. Sokka's mouth was wide open, snoring loudly as drool dripped from it. Gosh, he was loud. He looked over at Katara, who was sleeping quietly beside the fire, her hair crimped from her braid. Aang smiled, but stepped carefully over her. He wanted to explore this place.

The cave was eerie, dark, and there was a sense of fear in the shadows. Aang ignored his fears, as he marveled at the beautiful frost like designs curling and caressing the walls. Leaning in closer, he also saw engravings scratched into the ice walls, amazing art. He walked past the pictures, examining each one. They were all intricate and well drawn, and preserved.

One caught his eye though…

It was a sadder looking one, with a girl leaned over, tears running down her cheeks. Her long hair was flowing around her, and it seemed like wind whipping snowflakes around. The picture beside it shown the girls eyes closed, her face fixated in pain.

It seemed more eerie now, the rest of the pictures about pain. No more flowers or bright suns. Gulping, Aang backed away from the carvings. He bumped into the other wall, and he turned around. This one pictured a face, with blank eyes and facial expression, frost designs swirling around its features. Aang thought he could scream. Instead he ran, looking forward instead of the scary carvings. He should really get back…

But he was lost now. "Idiot!" He grumbled, smacking his head. There were so many halls, so many drawings, he just-

Sitting down, he brought his knees to his chest and quivered. How could he get out? Fear replaced his curiosity. He didn't like those drawings anymore.

_Crack._

His head snapped up, seeing a humane figure shadowed by the shadows. "Katara?" he called, getting up. The figure dashed away. "Wait!" he ran after it, boosting himself up with a gust of air. Almost slipping on the ice, he turned a corner and chased the person. He boosted himself more, until he was right behind the evading person. "Stop!" He called, as the person turned another sharp corner. The person flicked her hand, (he could tell it was a girl by now) sending a wall of ice up. Aang broke through it, reaching out to the girl. She turned another corner, and was…gone.

"Wait…"he said almost tearfully. Great, he was deeper in this maze. Would he ever get out? Aang let out a tear from his grey eyes, curling up in the cold hall. On the wall across from him, there was another picture. This one…had a helpless girl, with a lost expression, gripping her cloak as wind and snow swirled around her. He felt as lost as her. In defeat, he slumped and covered his face.

"I'm sorry" a small voice echoed through the halls. "I didn't want you to cry."

Aang glanced around, seeing down the hall was the girl. She still hidden in the shadows though. "I was scared." Aang stayed quiet, not sure what to do, or who she was. "Please don't cry" She whispered, pain tinging her voice.

"I'm lost though" Aang sniffed.

"I'm lost to. I'm always lost" the mysterious girl frowned. She walked closer, revealing her worn out, old grey cloak much like Katara's. The hood hid her face though, and she walked with her head down. "I can help you" Aang nodded getting up. He took a step closer to her, but she quickly jumped away. Aang looked questionly at her, but she simply walked down the hall. He wiped away his tears, following the shadowed girl down the twisting halls. Finally, Aang could see the fire light. He walked back into the main room.

"Thanks-" She wasn't there. Scared and confused, Aang walked back. Sokka was up, cowering beside Appa.

"Aang!" He yelped, rushing towards him and hugging the Avatar. "Your alive! I thought the ghost girl ate you!"

"Ate me?" Aang asked uncertainly. Sukko nodded.

"I saw her. She had this murderous glare…I think this cave is haunted!" He gasped. Just then, Katara grumbled and woke up, glaring at the boys.

"What are you doing up?" She groaned. "And why are you yelling?"

"The cave is haunted! We're all going to die!" Sokka cried hysterically. "The ghost almost ate Aang!"

"Last time I tell you ghost stories…" Katara mumbled. "Sokka, calm down. There are no such things as ghosts."

"What if its that frozen girls ghost! Katara you doomed us all!"

Katara mumbled something again, getting up. "There are _no _ghosts!" she turned towards the shadowed part of the room. "I'll even prove it!" she walked towards the hallways.

"No Katara!" Aang called.

"Not you to Aang" Drawled Katara. "But its-"

"There _are no such things as ghosts!_" Katara yelled before walking into the hall. "See, I'm fi-ahh!" She screamed, and the boys rushed forward.

"I just slipped!" Growled Katara. "Calm down." She carried on into the dark hall. "Fine. No ghosts…." She trailed off as she looked behind the boys. A small looking girl looked back at her with white eyes and frosty hair, skin paler than snow. Frost seemed to bleed from her eyes, swirling around her skin. But she blinked, and she was gone. "…Perfectly fine." She finished, unsure.

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Soon the boys went back to bed, but Katara couldn't sleep. She pulled her blankets around herself, gulping. No such thing as ghosts…no such thing…

_Snap. _

Katara gasped and looked around wildly. Silence. Curious, she got up and walked towards the far wall. "Um, hello?" nothing.

_Crack. Crack. Crack._

"Show yourself!" Katara whisper yelled, preparing to water bend.

_Crack. Snap._

Terrified, Katara hadn't noticed she had wandered into a large room. It had a blue glow to it, and in the middle was a thick pillar of ice. Frost leaked down it, in floral patterens and gentle, flowing patterns like peaceful waves. Before she touched it, a small voice filled the silence.

"Your friends are scared."

On instinct, Katara lifted sharp shards of ice from the frozen ground. "Who's there?"

"I'm not sure."

Ok, this just got strange. Katara glared at the shadows around her, ready to let one of the ice spades fly at any signs of a threat.

"I have a story to share…"

"Show yourself!" Shouted Katara. But, impossibly fast, she felt ice cold fingers touch her forehead. Gasping, she closed her eyes quickly and cringed away. "What did you…" She felt sleepy. Slowly…she drifted off to sleep…

_Katara's minds eye opened. In front of her, a young little girl in a light blue cloak hauled a basket of fish. She saw her look back and forth with a michievious grin, before running to the shore and setting down the basket of fish. _

_Giggling, she waved her hands gently, and a small orb of deep blue water parted from the waves. She moved it gently towards her, marveling at the beauty of it. But, as soon as she got total control of it, it started to freeze over. "No, no!" the girl whined, watching as the water shifted to frosty ice and plopped on the ground. "Water! Not ice! Ugh!" she complained, kicking the basket. As she finished her mini tantrum, she finally looked up to see dark, almost black storm clouds forming in the sky and coming quickly in. _

_Her pretty sea green eyes widened in fear, as she snatched up the basket of fish and ran quickly. Her brown, untamed hair spilled from her hood and streamed out behind her as she raced towards the village. But just as she reached a hill overlooking the village-_

_Strong winds knocked her back, and she rolled down the hill. Bruised and pained, she struggled back up, but found that the snow and wind stung her eyes and face. Eyes watering from fear and pain, she crawled blindly through the snow drifts, calling out "Mommy! Daddy! Papa!" desperately over the howling winds. Frost froze her tears in place, and she quickly shut her eyes and curled up._

_Would she get out? "Mommy…" she whispered. Snow gathered on her hair, and as the hours passed, she started turning paler, instead of her soft brown colored skin. She cried out in pain suddenly, as she leaned over, more tears coming down. She grasped her chest, eyes now wide and surprised. Shaking she cried out again, ignoring the frost as it started freezing shut her moist eyes. She choked on her screaming, gawking in pain as her fingers turned blue and ice crept from her mouth. It was gruesome. Letting one more yelp, she collapsed into the drifting snow, which gently settled over her frozen body. All that stuck out was her outreached hand. _

Katara screamed herself, as she regained consciousness. She looked wide eyed across the room, at the fourteen year old standing there, her head hung low. "Y-you're the…the…"

"I'm lost." She cut off Katara. "I can't find home…I have no home. I am frozen." she continued, fisting her gloved hands.

"But you-" she paused. "That was decades ago though." The girl nodded.

"I am frozen."

Frozen…frozen…oh. Frozen in time, frozen in age, frozen from the inside out. Katara noticed a small little tear running down her white cheeks. "Mom, dad, and papa are gone. I am lost." She whimpered. "I am alone."

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**Hi. First ATLAB story. Its a one shot, but if you guys like it a lot, perhaps I could turn it into a story :3**

**Anyways, I was bored and I LOVE Avatar, so this was the product of my twisted imagination. Also, I would really like it if you reviewed. Just know that flames will be ignored. I like to read your opinions on my ideas! :) **

**Disclaimer: If you really think I could possibly ever own Avatar and all its characters, you are gravely mistaken. They aren't mine, but I own my OC though! **


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